Collection: Vietnam Paintings

Vietnam Paintings

In 1968 when I turned 12 the Vietnam War was a nightmare you could never wake up from. I chose to revisit that era by taking stills from video and making fast paintings. I was going through a difficult time in my life (a nightmare I could never wake up from) and these paintings were my way of dealing with it – moving through a lot of pain as quickly as I could. If they had been more considered they would not have worked for me at all.

The action at Ia Drang – Vietnam – 1965 was the prototype for the Vietnam War. US Marines were dropped into the jungle expecting little resistance only to find a great deal of it. After suffering heavy casualties the surrounding jungle was carpet bombed and the bodies counted. Many more of “them” were killed than “us” so victory was declared and the jungle reverted to the Viet Cong. The body count was an evening ritual for years.

The Khe Sanh of the Seige of Khe Sanh was a Marine outpost in the jungle that was cut off during the Tet Offensive. Over 100,000 tons of bombs were dropped by US aircraft and over 158,000 artillery rounds were fired in defense of the base. It was soon after abandoned as irrelevant.

Tet Offensive – Saigon 1968: With victory “just around the corner” the Tet Offensive showed that the Viet Cong could actually launch an attack on the US embassy in Saigon. Though a military disaster for the North Vietnamese Tet was a propaganda victory that well may have turned the tide of the war.

Hue – Tet – 1968: The historic imperial city of Hue provided a scenic backdrop to one of the longest and bloodiest battles in the Vietnam War. A casualty of the Tet Offensive, the city was virtually destroyed. Another military disaster for the North Vietnamese that helped sour the American public on the war.

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  • Tet Offensive - Saigon - 1968
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  • Rescue - Ia Drang - Vietnam
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  • Hue - Tet - 1968
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  • Siege of Khe Sanh- Vietnam 1968
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  • Ia Drang - Vietnam 11.18.1965
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